How could the chemical actions of dead matter infuse vitality into the first germ, or bud of a plant?
For chemical actions are the antagonists of life, and constantly laboring to destroy the living organism, and finally they succeed.

There is no process of evolution known to man which can carry evolution across this abyss.

But till evolution crosses this gulf it can not even begin to operate.

This first abyss is its grave.
But, supposing life begun in the plant first, as the theory requires, there is another gap between the life of the plant and that of the animal; for all animal life is sustained by another sort of food than that which feeds the vegetable.

The vegetable feeds solely on chemical, unorganized matters; the animal solely on matter organized, on some plant, or on some other animal which feeds on plants.